‘MOVE OVER’ LAW EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS CONTINUE - LAW EXPANDS THIS OCTOBER TO INCLUDE TOW SERVICE OPERATORS

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – Maryland State Police efforts to educate motorists and enforce Maryland’s ‘move over’ law continued in June with a focused initiative that resulted in thousands of traffic stops.

During the month of June, troopers statewide issued 1,165 citations and 2,594 warnings for violations of Maryland’s move over law. Troopers used each traffic stop as an opportunity to clearly inform drivers of the move over law requirements. Some drivers continue to say they are unaware of the law, which took effect in Maryland on October 1, 2010.

The move over law requires drivers approaching from the rear an emergency vehicle using visual signals while stopped on a highway to, if possible, ‘make a lane change into an available lane not immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle.’ This movement should only be done if another lane in the same direction is available and the move can be made safely and without impeding other traffic. If moving to another lane away from the stopped emergency vehicle is not possible, the law requires drivers to ‘slow to a reasonable and prudent speed that is safe for existing weather, road, and vehicular or pedestrian traffic conditions.’

The intent of the ‘move over’ law is to provide an extra barrier of safety for police officers, fire fighters, and emergency rescue personnel working along Maryland roads. It is hoped drivers will become more aware of police and emergency workers stopped along the road and move away from them or slow down as they pass by the traffic stop or incident scene.

Under Maryland Vehicle Law, emergency vehicles are defined as:-Vehicles of federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies;-Vehicles of volunteer fire companies, rescue squads, fire departments, the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, and the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute;-State vehicles used in response to oil or hazardous materials spills;-State vehicles designated for emergency use by the Commissioner of Correction;-Ambulances; and-Special vehicles funded or provided by federal, state, or local government and used for emergency or rescue purposes in Maryland.

Violation of the ‘move over’ law is a primary offense with a fine of $110 and one point. If the violation contributes to a traffic crash, the fine is $150 and three points. If the violation contributes to a traffic crash resulting in death or serious injury, the fine is $750 and three points.

Effective October 1, 2014, the move over law will expand to include tow service operators. When a tow truck is on the side of the road the same rules of changing lanes if possible, or slowing down, will apply. State troopers are encouraging motorists to begin now to include tow service operators and not wait for October 1st.

In the last fourteen years, has your income increased over 50%? If you think it has, has it done so after taxes? Even if it has, you likely have not kept up in terms of inflation.

If you are a retiree, living on fixed income, a pension or bonds, you certainly have become poorer. If you had bought the Dow-Jones on 12/31/1999 you would have entered at about 11,500. It closed last week at less than 17,100. That would have been an appreciation of 6,600, better than 50%. But, of course, that was before taxes.

FIRST STATE POLICE ‘PERSON-BORNE’ EXPLOSIVE DETECTION DOGS TO GRADUATE

(SYKESVILLE, MD) – The Maryland State Police will graduate four unique K-9 teams specifically trained to detect explosives carried by a person, making it the first state police agency in the country to have teams with this type of ability.

The four teams of Labrador Retrievers and their Maryland state trooper handlers have undergone 12 weeks of intense training, developing their ability for odor detection related to explosives. These teams are not only trained to search and find explosives hidden in a building, a vehicle, or under a park bench, but they are able to detect and alert to the scent of an explosive agent carried by a person. The importance of this detection ability is obvious, especially as it relates to Maryland’s homeland security efforts.

This initiative was made possible through a partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) and their Explosives Detection Canine Program. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, under contract from DHS S&T, assisted in managing the program and will continue to track the success of this new initiative.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, a special demonstration will be conducted to exhibit a K-9 team detecting explosives carried by a person. Experts will be available to discuss this importance of this capability in today’s world.

WHAT: GRADUATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF NEW PERSON-BORNE EXPLOSIVE DETECTION DOGS

From the Middle East to Russia to our own southern border, Obama’s bills are coming due.

Often, crazy things seem normal for a time because logical catastrophes do not immediately follow.

A deeply suspicious Richard Nixon systematically and without pushback for years undermined and politicized almost every institution of the federal government, from the CIA and the FBI to the IRS and the attorney general’s office. Nixon seemed to get away with it — until his second term. Once the public woke up, however, the eventual accounting proved devastating: resignation of a sitting president, prison sentences for his top aides, collapse of the Republican party, government stasis, a ruined economy, the destruction of the Vietnam peace accords that had led to a viable South Vietnam, the end of Henry Kissinger’s diplomatic breakthroughs, and a generation of abject cynicism about government. Did Nixon ever grasp that such destruction was the natural wage of his own paranoia?

In the post-Watergate climate of reform, for nearly three years a naïve Jimmy Carter gave utopian speeches about how American forbearance would end the Cold War and create a new world order based on human rights — until America’s abdication started to erode the preexisting global order. Scary things followed, such as the fall of the shah of Iran, the rise of Iranian theocracy, the taking of American hostages in Tehran, revolutions and insurrection throughout Central America, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, radical Islamists taking over Mecca, more gas lines, continued stagflation, and China invading Vietnam. Did the puritanical Carter ever understand what might be the consequences of his own self-righteousness in an imperfect world?

Barack Obama likewise has done some crazy things that seemed for years to have no ramifications. Unfortunately, typical of the ways of Nemesis (a bitter goddess who waits until the opportune moment to demand payment for past hubris), suddenly the bills for Obama’s six years of folly are coming due for the American people.

When a president occasionally fails to tell the truth, you get a scandal like the monitoring of the Associated Press reporters. When a president serially fails to tell the truth, you get that plus the scandals involving the IRS, the NSA, the VA, Benghazi, and too many others to mention.

HOLLYWOOD, Md. — The Mid-Atlantic region is home to tens of thousands of military men and women who’ve fought through some of the longest and deadliest wars in United States history. And while troops may be physically withdrawn from battle zones, for many, the war rages on inside. Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury are the so-called “signature wounds” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But getting help for these complicated neurological conditions isn’t easy. Ask Sarah Williams, an Army veteran who served through two tours in Iraq. Both she and her husband, who she met and served with in Iraq, suffer from PTSD. But rather than let it define who she is, Williams has decided to do something to not just help herself, but her fellow wounded warriors.More

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee claims that the Obama administration has handed a number of ICE agents in the Murrieta/LA area paid temporary leave, a move that will exacerbate the mass influx of illegal immigrants into the region.

Liberty News’ Eric Odom, who is currently on the scene in the flashpoint town of Murrieta, says an ICE employee who lives in Orange County told him, “the Obama administration has furloughed Murrieta/LA area ICE agents full time until further notice,” but that the agents would continue to receive full pay.

“One would think any ICE agents still being paid full time would be deployed to actually assist the U.S. in its fight against Obama’s foreign invasion of the interior United States. Especially in light of the controversially fight between the federal government and the citizens of Murrieta,” writes Odom, noting that the move weakens American security without even saving any money.

Murrieta has been the site of clashes between pro-amnesty demonstrators and anti-illegal immigration activists since last week, with the arrival of militant La Raza members likely to escalate tensions.

A day after vowing to “do something” about the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby ruling, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reiterated Democrats’ desire to undermine the high court’s decision by attacking the “five white men” who voted in favor of the Christian, family-owned business.

There’s just one glaring problem with his statement: Justice Clarence Thomas is black. The Washington Free Beacon was one of the first outlets to pick up on the gaffe.

Patients heading to many California emergency rooms can expect to spend the better part of a workday waiting to see a doctor, thanks to the higher number of people using their Obamacare benefits in ERs rather than paying for visits to a primary doctor.

The average wait time for the state’s emergency rooms was already at more than five hours, according to a report from the California Healthcare Foundation last October, when Obamacare went live.

But now, doctors in California say more patients than ever are crowding into emergency rooms because far fewer doctors accept Obamacare policies than had been anticipated.

"At the meeting of the Delaware Technical Community College Board of Trustees today, I was selected as the next president of the college. Obviously, I am excited about this new chapter in my professional life. I previously shared with you all the reasons why I decided to pursue this opportunity.

My past fourteen years at Wor-Wic have been filled with wonderful memories. I don’t think I can adequately express how privileged I feel to have worked with such a supportive Board and talented team of Wor-Wic faculty, staff and administrators as we grew the institution and addressed the education and training needs of the Lower Shore community. Together, we have made a difference and your hard work and dedication is what made that possible.

I want to thank each of you for the role you play in supporting our Mission and Goals and most important, our students. Wor-Wic will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish the institution and all of you much continued success. My transition date hasn’t been set yet, but it will likely be early to mid-August."

District 8 - Delmar Little League Girls Softball - Major League (11/12 yo) are one game away from winning the state championship. They play tomorrow in Preston @ 6pm against the winner of tonight's game (Sharpsburg v. St. Mary's).

Two years ago, the city of Baltimore, in a bid to reverse population decline, announced a plan to draw 10,000 people to the city. One of the key demographics would be immigrants. Here, we look at why immigration is well-suited to helping a city bounce back from the shock of depopulation.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A life gone haywire because of what the family says was a missed medical diagnosis. The Delaware County family wants to warn others as they fight to save their son. Doctors say it could happen to anyone. Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl has more on a grown man who has to be cared for like a baby.

Thirty-four-year-old Chris Valerio is a prisoner in his own body. Just standing up is an ordeal. He can’t feed himself or talk much, but his parents say his mind is fine, he understands everything.

“It’s very frustrating. Obviously it’s very disheartening. We’ve had our days of tears,” said John Valerio, Chris’ father.

For his parents, it’s heartbreaking to see Chris, who’d been such a free spirit. He loved to travel and try new restaurants. Now he can’t chew, or do anything for himself.

“It’s very difficult. It’s like you know every day we look for a little pinch of hope,” said Bev Valerio, Chris’ mother.

Narrative:
On 7/08/2014 at approximately 1938 hours, MSP Barrack “V” Berlin
received multiple calls for a pickup truck that overturned approximately
three times in the area of W/B 50 near Wal-Mart. Witnesses also
observed a subject pouring out beer at the collision scene.

Upon
Troopers arrival they discovered that the operator identified as
Brandon Burkhard was exhibited clues of impairment. Burkhard was
subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Troopers
also discovered that a friend (JUVENILE) that was following Burkhard in
another vehicle observed the collision. Witnesses identified the
juvenile as the one pouring out alcoholic beverages located in
Burkhard’s truck after the collision. The juvenile was observed by
witnesses pouring out alcoholic beverages from Burkhard’s truck. The
juvenile was subsequently charged with under age possession of alcoholic
beverages.

In addition, a loaded .40 caliber handgun
was found in the roadway in the vicinity of the overturned vehicle. The
handgun was not registered and both Burkhard and the juvenile denied
ownership. The investigation into the ownership of the handgun is
ongoing and charges are pending.

Burkhard was
transported by ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. He
agreed to submit to a blood test for alcohol content. Burkhard was
charged with DUI and related motor vehicle collision charges. There were
no other vehicles involved in the collision.

The ugly situation at America’s southern border is quickly spreading as President Obama’s Department of Homeland Security continues to bus and fly illegal immigrants to other areas of the country for processing and detention.

State and local governments, members of Congress, and private citizens haveprotested the dispersal of the illegal immigrants, but the federal government continues to implement itstransportation procedure.

One civilian protest was so successful that it forced three DHS buses destined for a Customs and Border Protection facility in Murrieta, California to take their load of illegal immigrants elsewhere–a minor victory, as the illegals were merely processed at another facility, not returned to the border for deportation.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday morning calling on the Maryland General Assembly to further relax its marijuana laws.

In April, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed a bill lessening the penalty for possessing less than ten grams of marijuana from a criminal to civil offense. Under the new legislation, first-time offenders now receive a $100 fine. Second-time offenders net a fine of up to $250. Those caught three or more times can be fined up to $500. The newly-established law also requires third-time offenders, and those under the age of 21, to enroll in drug education classes.

The progressive law, however, did not include the term "paraphernalia" in its language. In turn, police across the Free State continue to arrest people for possessing items like pipes and bongs. Montgomery County Councilwoman Nancy Navarro (D-Mid-County) sponsored Tuesday's resolution, in part, hoping state lawmakers would amend the current law.More

True the Vote has an idea that is the fantasy of every taxpayer who’s ever found himself sitting opposite an imperious tax collector: Audit the IRS.

On Thursday, the IRS will have to persuade federal Judge Reggie Walton why this shouldn’t happen.

True the Vote calls itself “the nation’s largest nonpartisan, voters’ rights and election integrity organization.” It is one of the conservative outfits whose application for nonprofit status was targeted by IRS authorities. And in its motion asking for an outside specialist in data recovery to be permitted to conduct a forensic audit into the lost Lois Lerner e-mails, True the Vote makes an eminently reasonable case:

“Even if the ill-timed hard drive ‘crash’ was truly an accident, and even if the IRS genuinely believes that the e-mails are ‘unrecoverable,’ the circumstances of the spoliation at issue cry out for a second opinion,” reads the motion.

“It may well prove to be the case that a computer forensics expert could recover evidence that the IRS has been unable to retrieve. At the very least, such an expert could preserve whatever evidence has not already been wiped clean from the IRS’s computers along with whatever is stored on the Individual Defendants’ home computers, cell phones, and other PDAs.”

Recognized as a Top Performing Attraction as Reviewed by Travelers on the World’s Largest Travel Site

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND –Ocean City Recreation and Parks (OCRP) today announced that it has received aTripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website.

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that takes into account reviews ratings. Businesses must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, volume and recency of reviews. Additional criteria include a business’ tenure and popularity ranking on the site.

Obamacare open enrollment closed March 31. The White House’s Obamacare war room did not.

Most state health insurance rates for 2015 are scheduled to be approved by early fall, and most are likely to rise, timing that couldn’t be worse for Democrats already on defense in the midterms.

The White House and its allies know they’ve been beaten in every previous round of Obamacare messaging, never more devastatingly than in 2010. And they know the results this November could hinge in large part on whether that happens again.

So they’re trying to avoid — or at least, get ahead of — any September surprise.

Aware that state insurance rate hikes could give Republicans a chance to resurrect Obamacare as a political liability just weeks before the midterms, the White House’s internal health care enrollment outreach apparatus immediately redirected into a rapid-response, blocking-and-tackling research and press operation geared toward preempting GOP attacks on the issue.

On July 9, 2014, the Snow Hill Police Department and the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation were called to respond to the area of 237 S. Washington St, Snow Hill, Maryland, regarding a Robbery involving a handgun. During the investigation, investigators learned the suspect approached the victim’s vehicle displaying a handgun and demanding money from the victim. After retrieving an undisclosed amount of money the suspect fled in the area of Morgan’s Run Development. The victim reported she heard the sound of a firearm discharge as the suspect fled.

The suspect is described as follows; African American Male in his 20’s with no facial hair and smooth competition wearing dark sweat pants with a black t-shirt. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspect is asked to contact TFC Richard Keidel at the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation at 410-632-1111. Information can also provided to the Lower Eastern Shore Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776, where a reward of up to $1,000 may be available for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in this case.

On July 3, 2014, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Cholula Authentic Mexican Store, located on Stephen Decatur Highway West Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland, for a strong arm robbery investigation.

On arrival, Deputies met with the victim, who stated that a white male approximately 6’ tall, approximately 250 lbs. with various tattoos on both arms entered the store and asked about cellular telephones. The victim stated that she handed him a packaged prepaid cellular telephone to look at, which he then stated that he did not want. The suspect went to the back of the store and removed a glass Pepsi bottle from the drink cooler and returned to the front of the store. The suspect placed the Pepsi bottle on the counter as if to pay for the drink.

As the victim was preparing to complete the sale, the suspect attempted to walk behind the counter. The victim blocked the suspect, who then forced his way behind the counter by forcefully pushing the victim to the floor, causing minor injury. The suspect was able to remove a bank bag from the store before fleeing the area.

The victim was able to identify the suspect as Mr. Kenneth Mearle Larkin, 33 of Ocean City Md. The victim stated that Mr. Larkin had previously been in the store on multiple occasions to cash checks. The victim reviewed the records for Mr. Larkin’s previous transactions at the store and positively identified Mr. Larkin as having been the person who had just robbed the store.

Based upon the investigation, an arrest warrant was obtained charging Mr. Larkin with Robbery, Theft, and Assault 2ndDegree. Mr. Larkinwas apprehended in Baltimore on July 7, 2014, by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Mr. Larkinwas taken before a District Court Commissioner and was ordered held without bond.

Attention Snow Hill area. At approximately 9:00am today, the Snow Hill Police Department responded to an armed robbery on South Washington Street. The suspect is described as a black male, slender build, approximately 30 years old, wearing a black shirt and black sweat style pants with an unknown insignia on it. Subject displayed a semi automatic handgun during the commission of the crime. If anyone sees a subject matching that descripition or was in the area and noticed same, please contact the Criminal Bureau of Investigation at 410-632-1112 or 911.

Narrative: On 9 July 2014 at 5:00 AM, a deputy responded to the bus station located on Tri-County Way for the report of a disorderly subject yelling at fellow patrons and employees. Upon arrival, the deputy identified John Durant of Columbia, MD as the individual causing the problem.Upon running a query of Durant, the deputy discovered an open warrant for Durant’s arrest from Howard County, MD. The warrant was issued back in March 2014 after Durant failed to appear for a Driving Suspended case.

The deputy arrested Durant and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Durant in the Detention Center in lieu of$2,500.00 bond pending transfer to Howard County.

Independence Day is a good time to revisit the foundations of our political order, especially given the long record of Barack Obama and the Democrats’ disregard for the Constitution. The members of the Continental Congress who met in Philadelphia in July 1776 sought their independence from England in order to recover their rights that had been violated by a tyrant, and to establish political freedom and autonomy so that those rights could be protected from further erosion. For a century now the Progressive ideology has insidiously undermined that legacy of autonomy in a slow-motion revolution that aims to “fundamentally transform America.”

The Declaration of Independence contains a statement of principles that justify the indictment of George III that makes up the bulk of the document. The principles are straightforward: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.––That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The key point is that rights are not the gifts of men, for such rights can be taken back by the same power that bestows them. Rather, they are the defining elements of human nature bestowed by the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Individual autonomy is the birthright of all, and can be limited only by the consent of the people, who establish collective power residing in government for specific, limited purposes, and they can take that power back when government exceeds those legitimate purposes. A decade later the framers of the Constitution would enumerate these limited powers and institutionalize the purposes for which they can be used. Thus the significance of the Declaration must be found in the political order created a decade later to institutionalize the principles of 1776.

Residents told CBS 11 News they are disturbed by the prospect of protests like the one at the Murrieta Border Patrol station in California.

“I live right here so I don’t want to look out the back window and see people protesting everyday,” said Nathan Smith, who lives adjacent to the school.

Jenkins reassured residents the city will not tolerate a similar situation to the one in California where demonstrators blocked Homeland Security buses and demanded the federal government secure the border.

“As long as they make their statement in keeping with the law,” Jenkins said. “This is America and everybody is entitled to an opinion. If they break the law or impede the care of these children, then we’ll enforce the law.”

One progressive took to the press to call for an immediate end to a commonly used word that she deems derogatory and dehumanizing.

Sally Kohn wrote in a CNN column on Independence day that the term “Illegal Immigrants” needs to cease in commentary on immigration reform, calling for a complete end to it’s public usage as it is offensive and politically incorrect. Kohn equivocated the term to being as socially deplorable as “n*gger” and “f*ggot”.

“Today, opponents of immigration reform attack undocumented immigrants as ‘illegal immigrants.’ Even worse, like anti-immigration extremists, some prominent elected officials use the term ‘illegals.’ Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, said, ‘I urge all Mainers to tell your city councilors and selectmen to stop handing out your money to illegals.’ ” Kohn wrote in her piece for CNN.

She goes on to call for the elimination of the term “illegal” from public discourse, essentially arguing that social pressure should be employed to rid American parlance of the adjective. The progressive is doing her part to impose that pressure, supporting the political correctness police group “Race Forward” who has a current campaign to get media organizations to drop ‘Drop The I-Word” in all reporting on immigration.

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton told the German magazine Der Spiegel on Tuesday that she and her husband Bill were indeed 'deeply in debt' when they left the White House and blamed 'relentless persecution' by Republicans for her legal bills after his presidency.

The claim has added fuel to the fire Clinton herself touched off last month when she claimed they were 'dead broke' after their time in the White House.

The former first lady earns $200,000 or more every time she makes a public speech. The former president has earned a reported $104 million in speaking fees since he left the Oval Office behind him.

The power couple has also raised more than $1 billion in political contributions for Democrats and their own foundation in the last two decades.

A new Maryland law goes into effect this month banning the sale of 190-proof grain liquors like Everclear, The Daily Beast reports. The law follows the footsteps of neighboring states Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, who have all banned high-content alcohols like Everclear with the hope that preventing dangerously high levels of alcohol consumption will also prevent sexual assaults on college campuses.

"A lot of the college presidents came together … they all agreed that we should get rid of the worst of the grain alcohol that’s out there. It’s caused a lot of problems, everything from binge drinking to sexual assault,” Del. Charles Barkley, the Maryland state lawmaker who championed the bill, told The Daily Beast.

The logic the law follows — that alcohol directly causes sexual assault — has been criticized by advocates for sexual assault victims both because they feel it blames binge drinking, and not the assailant, for sexual violence, and because it moves the emphasis away from teaching students about consent and respectful campus cultures and places it instead on alcohol.

One child is dead from the violent weather that moved through our region Tuesday night.

The victim was among a group of young campers at River Valley Ranch in Manchester.

Corporal Jon Light with the Carroll County Sheriff's office tells WBAL Radio that camp was in session with 114 kids, ranging in age from seven through 12.

He says, as the storm intensified, camp counselors tried to hustle the kids to safety. They were racing to get to an enclosed area at the top of a hill when a tree crashed down onto a group of campers.

A Government plan to put ‘smart meters’ into every British home – costing households £200 each – will be launched this week despite fears they will not work and that they pose a security risk to power supplies.

The £11 billion project, introduced to meet EU green targets, is supposed to cut down energy consumption and reduce bills.

But official reports seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal that: trials show consumers with smart meters save far less energy than predicted; five countries considering such a plan have decided it would cost more money than it saves; the meters do not work in a third of British homes, including high-rise flats, basements and those in rural areas: hackers and cyber-terrorists could break into the system causing chaos in the national grid, or carry out large-scale fraud by fiddling bills.

Energy companies will begin the mass installation of smart meters next year at a cost of at least £200 per home, and have admitted the expense will be passed on to customers.

A new book brilliantly explains how policies designed to help blacks end up harming them.

Back in the heyday of the British Empire, a man from one of the colonies addressed a London audience.

“Please do not do any more good in my country,” he said. “We have suffered too much already from all the good that you have done.”

That is essentially the message of an outstanding new book by Jason Riley about blacks in America. Its title isPlease Stop Helping Us. Its theme is that many policies designed to help blacks are in fact harmful, sometimes devastatingly so. These counterproductive policies range from minimum-wage laws to “affirmative action” quotas.

This book untangles the controversies, the confusions, and the irresponsible rhetoric in which issues involving minimum-wage laws are usually discussed. As someone who has followed minimum-wage controversies for decades, I must say that I have never seen the subject explained more clearly or more convincingly.

The ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation have filed an amicus brief in what will be the first case in the country to address the constitutional implications of a so-called “stingray,” a little known device that can be used to track a suspect’s location and engage in other types of surveillance. We argue that if the government wants to use invasive surveillance technology like this, it must explain the technology to the courts so they can perform their judicial oversight function as required by the Constitution.

The case is highly significant for two reasons. First, it shows that the government is using new types of technology—not just GPS and cell site location records—to track location. Second, it shows that the government is going to great lengths to keep its surveillance practices secret. The government is hiding information about new surveillance technology not only from the public, but even from the courts. By keeping courts in the dark about new technologies, the government is essentially seeking to write its own search warrants. That’s not how the Constitution works.

We filed an amicus brief in the case of Daniel Rigmaiden, who is being criminally prosecuted in federal court in Arizona for allegedly filing fraudulent tax returns. Last fall, the Wall Street Journal reported on the government’s use of the stingray device in Rigmaiden’s case. Stingray is the name of a particular product sold by the Harris Corporation. The more generic term for the device is “IMSI catcher,” in reference to the unique identifier, or International Mobile Subscriber Identity, of wireless devices.

Several aspects about stingrays are important to understand from a privacy perspective.

On July 2, 2014, at approximately 11:45 p.m. Ocean City officers working in a plain clothes capacity noticed a possible noise violation originating from a vehicle in the Inlet Lot. Minutes later, uniformed officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the area of Baltimore Avenue and South 1stStreet when the vehicle subsequently fled north on Baltimore Avenue.The vehicle then travelled west on Worcester Street, continued south on Philadelphia Avenue and finally stopped in a parking lot in the area of Baltimore Avenue and South 1stStreet. At that time, the driver, later identified as Marcos W. Ortlip, 21, of Millsboro, DE, quickly jumped out of the vehicle and was placed under arrest for fleeing. Three additional passengers in the vehicle were also detained at that time.During the investigation, officers found that the driver and two passengers were in possession of controlled dangerous substances and were subsequently arrested. They were later identified as Brandon R. Garrison, 31, of Dagsboro, DE, and Christina P. Boone, 23, of Millsboro, DE. The third passenger was released at the scene. Officers located 18 bags of heroin, in addition to marijuana and crack cocaine during a search of the vehicle and suspects. Officers also seized over $650 in US currency.Ortlip, Garrison and Boone have each been charged by Ocean City police with multiple drug possession and distribution charges. Ortlip was also cited with multiple traffic violations. All three suspects were seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner. Ortlip is currently being held at the Ocean City Public Safety Building on $25,000 bond. Garrison is also being held at the Ocean City Public Safety Building on $40,000 bond. Boone was released on her own recognizance.

Word is the small town of Murrieta, California, is about to become the country’s next constitutional crisis.

That’s because armed federal agents are reportedly set to converge on the town, prepped – meaning locked and loaded, dressed in riot gear – to pressure local protesting citizens to go home, keep quiet and let the good illegal immigrants from Central America be bused in and deposited. If true, this could be the worst crisis of constitutional proportions since – well, since early April, when armed agents with the Bureau of Land Management took up spots outside Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s property to try and force him, at gunpoint, to pay his bill.

On second thought, April’s not that far back.

An American citizen could actually start to get a bit paranoid that the feds are finding it far too easy these days to take up arms against those who – in strictest constitutional sense – are the employers. As John Henry, a Murrieta resident for more than 20 years, described to Breitbart Texas: “We’re being told that federal marshals or ICE will be here in the next few days and that they are bringing riot gear. They’re apparently going to be blocking off the street with concrete blockades so that no vehicles can get through. The [nearby] Riverside County Sheriff’s Department showed up … and brought a huge watch tower that shoots up into the air 35 feet.”

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has been one of the strongest voices opposing gun control among law enforcement officers. He’s repeatedly warned that if the government tries to disarm the American people, things could get nasty.

Florida once again is getting a hefty bonus from the feds for “saving” taxpayers money.

This year, the state’s Department of Children and Families managed to misspend only $47,829,887 in food stamp benefits. That’s out of almost $6 billion the state received from the federal government.

Nevertheless, Florida’s error rate of .81 percent is the second lowest in the nation, and only a slight dip from the previous year when the state received $8 million for having the lowest in the nation at 0.7 percent. Vermont had the highest waste rate at 9.66 percent, while the national average was 3.2 percent.

“We are pleased Florida is again being recognized as a leader for quality and accuracy in processing food assistance applications,” DCF Interim Secretary Mike Carroll said in a statement. “The department is committed to helping individuals in crisis and being able to quickly assist families and individuals in need of these resources is one of our principal functions.

The protest escalated when a ladder truck was trying to move out of the firehouse and several people laid down on the street to block its path

PHILADELPHIA — Two people were arrested Monday night after residents gathered outside a fire station to protest what they say was a delayed response to a weekend row house fire that killed four young children.

About 200 residents turned out at the fire station after an afternoon community meeting to demand answers on firefighters' response to the blaze, which destroyed eight homes in Southwest Philadelphia. The protest drew dozens of police officers and resulted in several clashes.

Residents, some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with photos of the children, chanted "liars" outside the fire station, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The protest escalated when a ladder truck was apparently trying to move out of the firehouse and several people laid down on the street, blocking its path, according to the newspaper. Officers moved in and grabbed them by their legs to pull them back.

Recently, the Ocean City Police Criminal Investigation Division and Narcotics Unit, with assistance from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Enforcement Team, the Maryland State Police and the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force, conducts multiple drug enforcement operations at various locations throughout Ocean City in an effort to remove drugs from the streets of the community.

These undercover operations led to 33 undercover drug transactions and 45 drug distribution arrests. In addition to 45 arrests, six of those individuals were wanted by other agencies. During the undercover operations, detectives seized numerous drugs including marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine salts, prescription medications and MDMA. Detectives also seized three weapons and over $3,000 in U.S. currency.

The Ocean City Police Department would like to thank the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Enforcement Team and the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force for their assistance in the undercover operations. The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Enforcement Team consists of members of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police and the Pocomoke Police Department. The Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force includes members of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Salisbury Police Department and Fruitland Police Department. The OCPD is very appreciative of the continued partnership with all law enforcement agencies in our area.

Citizens are reminded that undercover officers continue to conduct drug enforcement operations throughout the year to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors. Drug activity often leads to more serious criminal activity and the OCPD Narcotics Unit is dedicated to keeping the citizens of Ocean City safe.

(Salisbury, MD) - Stop the Violence (STV) in Salisbury received a mini-grant from the Cigarette Restitution Fund through the Wicomico County Health Department to assist in their effort to educate children and youth on the dangers of smoking. As part of the mini-grant, a poster contest was open to all Stop the Violence participants grades K through 12, as well as 18-21 year old Stop the Violence participants.

The poster design and tobacco free messages were developed completely by the participants. Children/youth could choose to educate about the dangers of second hand smoke, peer pressure to smoke, the 4000+ chemicals in cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or the dangers of E-Cigarettes, etc.

The art was judged on creativity, originality and the tobacco free messages included, with three top winners’ artwork placed on a digital billboard on Route 13 in Eden.

“Congratulations to the top three artists. We are proud to prominently display your tobacco free messages and art,” says Lori Brewster, Health Officer for Wicomico County.

·Elementary first place winner: Tyteona Davis

·Elementary second place winner: Love Thomas

·Middle school winner: TreVontae

Honorable mention awards were also given to Earl Hodges, Se’yanie, and Major Richardson.

Confrontational scenes played out again today in a southern California town where demonstrators claim they've diverted a third bus full of illegal immigrants who were brought in to ease an overcrowded Texas facility.

Furious residents of Murrieta, California, greeted the bus as it pulled into town, holding signs that read 'Send Them Back with Birth Control' and 'No Vacancy: Try the White House.'

The protestors are complaining that they are being saddled with more than their share of would-be immigrants, most of whom are women and children.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a south Philadelphia firehouse Monday to vent their rage over what they felt was an inadequate response to a weekend blaze that killed four children.

The rowdy protests resulted in three arrests but miraculously no injuries after members of the mob become aggressive with police after community leaders had a meeting with fire officials about the Saturday morning fire.

Dozens of police were called in as about 200 people gathered in the street. One woman was transported to a local hospital after she had a seizure, officials said.

The Ocean City Fire Department recently took delivery of a brand new 2014 KME engine tanker. The engine, which is equipped with rear and side view safety cameras for backing and parking, will replace an older fire engine that has been in service for nearly twenty years.

The interior crew cab has two specialized cabinets that house medical supplies.

Other features include a Booster Line Reel Engine, an international MAXXForce 13 450 HP Motor, light tower red and yellow safety marking on the front bumper and rear of the truck to enhance. “Adding the new tanker to our fleet is going to be extremely beneficial,” stated Ocean City Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Shaffer. “The body style of the tanker is the same as our current units, but this engine uses different foam and has the ability to hold more water.”

In addition to the new KME engine tanker, the OCFD also recently received 53 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and six new Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) kits. The equipment was 95 percent funded through the competitive Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The $383,325 grant, when coupled with the required Town of Ocean City match of 5 percent, brought the equipment award total to $403,430.

“We are pleased to have been chosen to receive FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant”, Shaffer continued. “The SCBAs are a critical component in the protective equipment used by our personnel. With a primary response area of 10.5 miles, nearly 9,000 calls for service annually, including HAZMAT, being fully equipped with the latest SCBAs is vital to reducing first responder risk. The safety the SCBAs provide to our members, while also supplying our firefighters the ability to operate in hostile fire ground environments, including high rise buildings, is invaluable.”

A conservative Christian and mother of three from West Virginia has provoked vitriol from the left and support from the right after sharing her extreme beliefs about guns, abortion, health care and other political hot issues.

Holly Fisher, who Tweets using the provocative handle Holly Hobby Lobby, has created uproar online in the wake of last week’s controversial birth control decision by the Supreme Court.

To celebrate the court’s decision, Fisher posted a provocative photo online of her wearing a pro-life T-shirt, while posing in front of a Hobby Lobby store and holding a Chick-fil-A drinking cup.

The mother who abandoned her baby girl on a Manhattan subway platform on Monday morning is in police custody, authorities have said.

Police said they were questioning a 20-year-old woman who was found around 12.30am near 72nd Street and Broadway, although charges have not yet been filed, the New York Times reported.

Witnesses said the African-American woman, who has not been identified, had pushed her seven-month-old daughter's stroller out of a northbound 1 train at Columbus Circle around 11.50am before darting back inside the train.

Surveillance footage released by the NYPD showed the woman entering the subway with the baby in the stroller earlier in the day, but there were no cameras on the platform where the incident occurred.

More companies than ever are abandoning the U.S. for nations with lower taxes.

A new analysis found 47 companies have relocated to home bases overseas to take advantage of lower rates in the past 10 years through a merger process known as inversion.

To qualify for the lower taxes, a company must do more than simply set up shop overseas and change its address. It must first merge with a company in the lower-tax country and then either do at least a quarter of its business overseas or give the owners of the foreign company at least one-fifth ownership of the newly merged company.

Only 29 companies used the inversion process during the previous two decades, according to the Congressional Research Service analysis.

Annapolis, MD – Gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan has accepted all three invitations received to date to participate in gubernatorial debates and forums with Lt. Governor Brown. On July 1, Hogan issued a statement accepting the first of these invitations and called for several additional town hall style debates throughout the state.

In response, the Brown campaign sent out a press release over the holiday weekend saying that the Lt. Governor only wants to do three debates and only with organizations of his choosing; debates which don't actually exist and for which no invitations have been sent. Each debate proposed by Brown would be a tightly controlled exchange hosted by a pre-approved station in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and emceed by a moderator hand-picked by the Lt. Governor’s campaign. According to the Hogan for Governorcampaign:

“We think that the voters of Maryland deserve the opportunity to know the differences between us. We have accepted every invitation received to date without any restrictions whatsoever as to the format and have also called for debates in all regions of the state.

We have said we would be pleased to participate in debates on all the Baltimore, Washington, Salisbury and Hagerstown television stations and before any important organization anywhere in Maryland.

We believe the people of Maryland deserve a real clear choice for a change and we plan to give it to them. They deserve to hear from both of us and we hope Anthony Brown will agree to frequent, substantive and real debates on the serious issues facing our state.”

The following invitations have been received and accepted by the Hogan campaign:

June 26 - Maryland Municipal League Gubernatorial Candidates Forum invitation sent to Hogan and Brown campaigns. Larry Hogan agrees to participate on same day.

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – As part of a continuing commitment to support and gain a better understanding of people with intellectual disabilities, the Maryland State Police and Special Olympics Maryland are launching a program that provides the opportunity for lives to be enriched while spending time out on patrol.

“Champions On Patrol” is a program partnership between the Maryland State Police and Special Olympics Maryland that provides interested children and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to spend time with members of the Maryland State Police in an effort to enrich the lives of both the athletes and police employees. The Maryland State Police Champions on Patrol program is an outreach effort aimed at promoting greater understanding for Department employees about children and adults with intellectual disabilities while offering an opportunity for those individuals to meet and spend time with state troopers and civilian employees.

“Providing an opportunity for our troopers to spend time with people with intellectual disabilities, many of whom are interested in police work, will enhance our understanding and deepen the ties between law enforcement and this vulnerable population,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Marcus L. Brown said. “Law enforcement in Maryland has a long and proud history of supporting the great work of Special Olympics and caring about the children and adults who participate in the year-round sports training and competition it provides. The Champions On Patrol program is a simple, but very powerful way for us to continue to serve this important group of Maryland’s citizens.”

“Special Olympics Maryland is proud to partner with the Maryland State Police in the Champions On Patrol program,” Special Olympics President and CEO Jim Schmutz said. “At competitions, our athletes love being recognized as champions, in part because they are excited that medals and ribbons are presented to them by one of the thousands of Maryland police officers who faithfully support Special Olympics. It is hard to describe the amazing relationships formed between our athletes and the dedicated men and women from Maryland law enforcement and corrections who cheer them on at athletic competitions. In addition to this direct hands-on involvement with athletes, the law enforcement community works tirelessly across the state to raise money that supports year-round sports training and competition in 24 sports for 6,973 athletes.”

“Our athletes truly are champions, as are Maryland’s law enforcement and corrections officers,” Schmutz continued. “The Champions On Patrol program will only help to grow these relationships and make Maryland better by building inclusive communities of dignity and respect.”

The Champions On Patrol program will give an interested child or adult with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to tour a Maryland State Police barrack and go out on ‘patrol’ with a state trooper. Special Olympics Maryland has coordinators in each county. Any athlete or athlete parent/guardian interested in a visit and/or a ride-along, can contact their county coordinator. The coordinator will forward the request directly to the office of Lt. Colonel Jerry Jones, Commander of the Field Operations Bureau. The request will then be assigned to the barrack commander in the county from which the request was received and arrangements will be made for the visit.

A parent or guardian will be able to accompany the athlete on the barrack tour and even on patrol, if necessary, for the comfort and confidence of the athlete. Troopers will take precautions not to deliberately place the athlete in dangerous or unsettling situations.

The Maryland State Police is proud to help organize the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge and the Maryland State Police/Natural Resources Police Deep Creek Dunk each year in cooperation with allied law enforcement, business partners, and Special Olympics Maryland. The Maryland State Police is part of the Maryland Law Enforcement Torch Run, a partnership of local, state, and federal law enforcement and corrections agencies whose officers work together throughout the year to organize events that raise money to support the programs of Special Olympics that are provided free-of-charge. For more information on Special Olympics Maryland or the Maryland Law Enforcement Torch Run, visit www.somd.org.